1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of separators for separating lightweight foreign material from air.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One of the major problems in the industrial air handling business is the separation of air from lightweight particulate, mist, or other foreign material. In many manufacturing processes, scrap material is created and is conveyed with air to a central storage area by means of a cyclone or centrifugal separator. In the fiberglass industry, for example, loose fiberglass is exhausted through ducting to cyclone pre-cleaners. These cyclone pre-cleaners have discharge rotary locks and are probably no more than 85% efficient. Air from the cyclone pre-cleaners is then exhausted to cartridge high efficiency after-filters and then to the system fan. Reported maintenance of these system components is quite high. In one industrial facility, the cyclone pre-cleaners are fabricated from ¼ inch steel plate and are replaced on a two-year schedule. Also, the rotary lock seals are replaced on a continual basis with frequent rotary lock housing replacements. In addition to the pre-cleaner maintenance problems, the after-filters require manual removal of the glass fiber from between the filters with a compressed air wand on a daily basis. Disclosed herein is a separator that achieves the desired separation of lightweight foreign material from air without the use of filters and the concomitant wear and replacement of pre-cleaners and after-filters.